


let me know if you need me

by Jibbly



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nesting, Post-Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-05-25 09:27:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14974214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jibbly/pseuds/Jibbly
Summary: Krolia was the one to suggest the blades base, and no one objected to the idea.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> human!shiro and galra!keith  
> tumblr @jibblyuniverse  
> ig@jibblyuniverse  
> twitter @jibblyuniverse4

They needed to stop to think and gather themselves and supplies. Krolia was the one to suggest the blades base, and no one objected to the idea.

It didn’t take too long, maybe a day or two, before they came upon the familiar area. Kolivan’s face appearing on their screens, welcoming them to land. The Lions touched down on the base, while a party of blades came out to greet them. Keith was the first to shake hands with the taller Galra, followed by his mother.

The stern faced blade raised an eyebrow. “I was beginning to think we had lost you both when neither o you returned from the mission.” He looked over their team. “But that’s not important anymore. I am glad that you all are here.”

Keith nods and looks back at his team. Their sorrowful faces, with the loss of a home fresh in everyone’s mind. “We need a place to stay strategize what our next moves are going to be. We plan on going to earth, but without the teledub, it will be a while.”

Kolivan hums and nods his head. “I understand.” He addresses the team as a whole. “Voltron is our alley, and we will be happy to offer any help you may need. Take as long as you need.”

They are all grateful, and so they start unloading what they were able to fit of their belongs in their lions. Shiro has been sleeping ever since he had been brought into the clone’s body. Keith had been worried, but Coran had said that his soul was healing. Being trapped in the black lion with no physical body had taken an enormous toll on him. But he would recover with rest.

That still didn’t stop Keith from worrying.

While the others unloaded, Keith stepped into the black lion. Ducking to the back where the small emergency cot in the wall was. Shiro’s face was still pale with bags under his eyes, but he looked peaceful. He almost regretted having to wake him.

Sitting on the side of the cot, Keith raises a hand to gently shake at the other’s shoulder. “Shiro, wake up." at first there’s nothing, so Keith keeps on talking. “Come on, you can sleep again once we’re inside.” He sees white brows furrow, before Shiro’s eyelashes start to flutter open.

There’s a bit of disorientation in the other’s face, so Keith smiles when those eyes land on him. “Hey.”

Shiro stays laying down, looking at Keith, with his chest going up and down softly with each breath he takes. “Hey.” There’s a tilt of his lips as he returns the greeting. Then he starts looking around again. “We’ve stopped?”

“Yeah, we’re at the Blades of Marmora. We’ll be here for a while, so you can rest once we go inside.”

Shiro nods, but neither of them move. Shiro is looking at him and Keith feels the tightness in his chest that’s been there since he had to fight Shiro on that space station. He doesn’t mean to flinch when Shiro’s hand comes close to him, but he does. He mentally curses at himself when the hand hesitates midair between them. “Sorry.” Shiro says and puts his arm back down.

“You look tired.”

Keith can’t help the laugh he does. “I look tired? You’re the one that’s been sleeping for two days.”

Shiro smiles, but it doesn’t stick. “Have you slept at all? You need to take care of yourself too, Keith?”

The concern is making Keith want to tear up. He doesn’t know if it’s the lack of sleep, finding out that Shiro had been dead, having to fight him, and almost dying himself, but his emotions feeling like they are being held together with a string.

“I’ll sleep when everything’s settled. We got to get inside first, though.”

Shiro frowns at him, worried.

“Do you need help getting up?” Keith knows that Shiro’s balance is off with an arm missing, and he wants to help as much as he can.

\---

Kolivan walks them all through the faculty once they’re inside. Keith already knew the layout, so he mostly kept pace with the group. His head was starting to feel light headed and he really should do what Shiro said and sleep. He looks over at the older paladin, who’s walking next to him. Keith is at his right side, just in case he loses balance, or needs to rest.

There’s a section of the base that is pretty empty for the most part. “These quarters will be yours for as long as you need. If there is anything that you may need and we can hep with, do not hesitate to ask.” There’s a series of thank you’s from everyone, and then they are looking and choosing which room will be theirs. Krolia steps besides Kolivan, turning towards Keith.

“I still need to debrief about my mission, so go ahead without me.”

Keith starts to open his mouth to say that he should come to, but she shakes her head. “You need to rest too, Keith. Your whole team does. They’ll have questions, so it would be best if someone whose been on the base before answers them.” Her eyes look somewhere behind him, before returning. “I’ll be back later.”

With that, both of the older Galra are gone and Keith is left in the hallway. He knows that she’s right. He needs to stay here and try to get some sleep. The doorways to all the rooms are open so he can see how everyone is looking over the rooms they’ll have while they stay here.

Keith knows that they are pretty bare living quarters, but no one is complaining.

Pidge pops out of a room and says that she’s going to start hauling in her equipment. Her words starting a chain reaction for everyone else on the team until he is the only one left in the hallway. He takes in a deep breath and decides to find a room for himself.

Turning around, he stops as he sees Shiro standing in an open doorway looking at him. That’s right, him and Shiro were the only one’s who didn’t bring any belongings. Walking up to him, Keith takes a peek in the room he’s in. There’s just the bed and an empty shelf that’s built into the wall. “Do you want me to see if there’s any extra bedding for you guys?” He asks looking at the thin blanket and single pillow.

Shiro doesn’t say anything and the hairs on the back of Keith’s neck tingle as he feels eyes on him. Looking up, he sees those eyes taking in his face. Flickering to his cheek. “Does it hurt?”

Keith feels his chest tighten but shakes his head. “It’s nothing.”

Shiro frowns. He lifts his hand again, and Keith stays still not wanting to flinch back like he had on the lion. He feels the back of Shiro’s hand lay against his temple and push back some of his bangs.

“Are you okay? You’re feeling warm.”

He shuts his eyes and nods. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

The hand drops away and there’s a little more room to breathe. He steps away from Shiro, looking up and taking in the stark white hair and concerned look in the other’s eyes. “I’m going to sleep for a bit.” He walks down to the next available room and closes the door behind him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

For as tired as he is, he can’t seem to get any rest. Laying in the bed, he can hear the coming and going of the team outside of his door. Out here in space day and night aren’t really separate, but his internal clock is demanding him to close his eyes. So, he lays on top of the covers and tries to get his limbs to stay still.

There’s a throbbing in the back of his head and it only has gotten worse as time goes by.

There’s a faint light that runs through the wall, and it illuminates the ceiling as he stares at it. His mind continues to drift to the person in the room next to his. Shiro must be sleeping again, he thinks.

His thoughts are in a constant loop of thinking bout the other black paladin. Getting more and more anxious about whether or not he’s okay.

Keith doesn’t know how long he stays there, lying in bed not able to fall asleep, but the movement from outside isn’t there anymore. His mom isn’t back yet either. Sitting up, he winces as the throbbing in his head spikes. He presses the heel of his hand into his temple and feels his pulse under the delicate skin. His hairline is wet with sweat and it grosses him out the tiniest bit. Maybe he was coming down with something. It was probably all the stress and adrenaline from the fight with both Shiro and Lotor catching up with him.

Groaning, he moves his legs off to the side of the bed and gets up. He’s been wearing his blades suit for ages and a shower sounds like a great idea. Running his hand over a panel, he opens up his door and steps through.

As he expected, no one was in the hallway anymore. Even the lighting had dimmed down. He wondered if they had figured it out, or Kolivan had set a time frame. Either way, he felt like it was late. Taking a look at the line of closed doors, he headed in the direction of the showers.

It took him maybe five minutes to get to where he remembered the showers being and scanned the room to see if there were any clothes he could change into afterwards. His suit was tight on him. The two years he had spent with his mom on that space creature let his body grow and fill out, but there was only so much stretch in the material. If anything, he needed to change out his breastplate.

Opening a compartment, he saw a couple pairs of simple sleeping clothes. Taking a loose tunic and a pair of pants, he laced them on the side and proceeded to undress. His skin being exposed to the cold air sending shivers down his arms and legs.

He lifted his legs one at a time to get his suit completely off and folded it next to his clean clothes. No one else was here, or seemed awake, so he freely walked towards the panel where the shower heads would activate from. Moving his hand over a panel, his fingers danced over the commands and then a blinking light came on to tell him that his shower was about to begin.

The shower came out from the roof in a spray of heated water. Stepping under it, he sighed as he felt some of his soreness fall away with the warm water. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back to let it fall over his face as well.

It’s been a while since he got to enjoy something like this. Facing forward again, he tapped on another button and the water changed to a fragrant one. He started to rub at his hair and body, the water foaming.

He washed himself twice before shutting off the shower. Walking towards his clothes, he dried off and started to change. He definitely felt refreshed, but he still felt the throbbing in his head and the tightness in his chest was back.

He debated whether or not to try and go to the infirmary but decided against it. Gathering up his blade suit, he started for his room. The trek back feeling longer than when he had made it the first time. His temples were throbbing by the time he made it back to his door, and he groaned while he rubbed at his eyes.

He raises his and to open the door to his room but stops midway to the panel.

Looking to the side, he thinks that he should check up on Shiro. That’s the only thing running through his head, and he feels that it’s important that he does. Moving over to the door next to his, he opens up the door and looks inside. It’s just as dimly lit as his had been when he had been staring up at the ceiling, but there’s a mound on top of the bed covered by a blanket.

Stepping inside the room, he places his suit on top of the empty shelf in the wall and starts walking towards the bed. As he expected, Shiro’s sleeping face and body are relaxed as Keith looks him over. The overwhelming need to make sure he was okay, somewhat lessened now that he was within touching distance.

His exhaustion felt like that was the time to remind him that he hasn’t slept, but he just shook his head and sat down next to the bed. His back against the wall and arms folding over the edge of the cot to cradle his head. He listened to Shiro’s soft breathing and felt himself drifting with every rise and fall of the others chest.

He was just on the edge of sleep, when he felt fingers card through his hair. Turning his head so that he could look without his cheek coming off his arm, he saw Shiro looking at him. The hand ruffled his hair and he groaned frowning. “Cut it out. I’m trying to sleep here.” He mumbled as he dug his face into the crook of his arm. Doing nothing to dislodge the hand in his hair.

Shiro chuckled. “You have a bed for that, you know?” His voice still a bit hoarse from just waking up.

Keith hums into his arms. “It’s too far. I’m fine here.”

“you’ll hurt your back like that.” The hand is gone and he’d be lying if he said he almost grabbed it to keep it on his head. He feels the bed move from under his arms and looks up. Shiro’s body is pressed against the wall, and his arm is raising the covers. Keith feels his pulse rate spike as a longing tugs deep in his chest.

“If you insist on staying, then come here. You shouldn’t sleep on the floor.”

Keith’s breathing is getting quicker as he looks at the space that Shiro is offering him. Raising up from the floor, he fits himself in the cramped space that’s left on the bed. The both of them are smaller than regular Galra, but it’s still a bit tight for two people.

Shiro drops the blanket and adjusts himself so that he is on his side looking at Keith, his eyelids already starting to fall again. “Get some sleep, Keith.” He says to the space between the both of them, and Keith feels the warmth on the bed and Shiro and can’t help the little sigh that leaves his lips when he lays his head on the pillow.

The throbbing in his head feels like it’s starting to finally go away and there’s this melting feeling deep in his chest that warms up his entire body. Closing his eyes, he let’s his body get some rest.

\---

The door slides open and she looks inside to see if this is the room her kit has chosen. She sees the white hair and almost closes the door as she recognizes the older paladin, but then she notices a low sound.

Walking further inside, Krolia looks down at the bed with wide eyes at her sleeping son. His head is tucked in the crook of the other paladin’s neck, and he is purring. Her brows furrow as she places her fingers against the back of Keith’s neck. Her worry only mounting. He is feverish but doesn’t smell sick.

She had thought that he was more like his father, but it seemed she was mistaken.

And with the way he was scent marking Shiro, she would have to have a talk with him when he woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Krolia is here to stay my dudes  
> and she is going to take care of her baby boy

He’s deep in sleep, when he feels his body start to shake. A pressure on his shoulder and a brightness slipping past his eyelids. Frowning, he tries to ignore it, his body desperate for some well deserved rest.

“Keith….” There’s someone saying his name, but he just burrows closer to the warmth that is surrounding him, perfectly content to stay exactly where he is.

The shaking is back, and this time he grits his teeth in frustration.

“Is he…. growling?” A familiar voice asks, voice slightly strained.

There’s a low rumbling noise from somewhere over him, and he finally opens his eyes as his instincts are on high alert. He is tucked under a blanket and warmth, and it takes him a few seconds to gather his bearings. Looking up, he is staring at Shiro who is looking at him with wide eyes, a flush on his face.

Keith is tucked against his chest, hands gripping the back of the other’s shirt in a death grip.

“Kit,” Krolia says from next to the bed. “I need you to let him go and come with me.” She is kneeling down and extends a hand towards Keith, and he wouldn’t hesitate to grab onto her hand normally. But as he turns his head to look at her, he feels an overwhelming sense of anxiousness. His fingers tighten in the fabric in his hands and he shakes his head.

He doesn’t want to move. Tucking his face into the crook of the warm neck in front of him, he feels his throat tighten. Shiro is tense against him, and it makes him even more anxious.

“Keith…” She tries again, but Keith shuts his eyes tight. He just wants to stay where he is! Why can’t she understand!

Krolia lets out a worn out sigh and it makes Keith’s heart tighten. He doesn’t want her making that sound at him.

It’s quiet for a few seconds, before her voice fills up the space of the room.

“Shiro, I’m going to need your help.”

Keith feels Shiro shift against him, and he knows that the older paladin is looking at her. “Is Keith okay?”

“He’s fine. I just need to take him away from you for a bit, so I can talk to him. “

Keith feels his heart stop at the thought of being taken away from Shiro. She can’t. He doesn’t want to go.

“I need you to put as much space as you can between the two of you, so I can get him.”

Shiro is quiet, before Keith feels a hand come up to cradle the side of his head. A thumb stroking his ear, and he tries be as still as he can be. “Okay…”

The hand moves from his head, down his neck, to his shoulder. Keith shuddering at the touches, but then there’s a steady pushing against his shoulder blade and he starts to panic. Shiro is trying to sit up, but Keith moves his hands from his back to Shiro’s chest. Trying to fold himself into the other, not wanting an inch of space between them. No no no no no!

“Keith…” Shiro says strained and rubs his hand over his shaking back. “Come on, Keith. I don’t know what’s wrong, but your mom does and she needs you to go with her.”

Shiro goes to sit up again, this time dislodging Keith from the space he’s tucked himself into on his chest and neck. It’s not much space, but it’s enough that Keith feels a pair of hands grab him and pull in the opposite direction.

His eyes are wet as he is tucked into his mom’s neck, but he shakes his head. He turns back to the bed, and his throat is tight as he tries to reach back out for Shiro. The white haired paladin sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at Keith with worried eyes.

“Shiro…” His voice cracks and he tries to pull away from the secure hold his mom has on him. He doesn’t want to go. A sob racks its way through his chest and then he is letting out a noise he’s never made before. He sees Shiro jolt at the high pitched whine, starting to reach back for him, but Krolia growls at him. “Don’t, or else I’ll never get him out of here.”

Shiro drops his hand, and Keith lets out another heart wrenching whine. Dread sitting in the pit of his stomach.

Krolia stands and carries Keith close to her, cradling her kit. She makes shushing coos and tries to comfort him as Shiro is left on the bed. Keith feels completely torn apart as they walk further and further away from the room.

“I know, Keith. I know. I’m sorry, but this is for your own good.” She whispers into his hair as he tucks his face into the crook of her neck and sobs. “I didn’t think you’d have to go through this. I should have prepared you. I’m sorry.” Her tone is soft and she is trying to put off as much parental scent as she can.

Keith isn’t small, but she still is able to carry him all the way to the infirmary where a room has been prepped for Keith. As soon as she had gone into Shiro’s room and seen her son scent marking the other, she had called Kolivan and asked him to prepare a room for Keith to nest in.

_The stern faced Galra had let out a sigh, to which she frowned. “You don’t seem surprised, Sir.”_

_“I had a suspicion during his trials. I’ll go ahead and have the room ready for him.”_

Opening the doorway, she took in the surroundings. There wasn’t a cot in here, only a neatly laid out heap of thickly padded cushions. Kneeing down, she lowered Keith onto the nest and he let out another sob. He tucked himself into a ball, and she could scent the thick waves of anguish coming off him. Running her fingers through his damp hair, she let out soft cooing noises laying down besides Keith.

“It’s okay, Keith. I know it hurts, but just breath okay. It’ll get easier in a bit, I just need you to calm down, Kit.” She is letting out as much as her scent as she can, trying to appease her son’s omega.

Keith shakes his head, face half way in a pillow, face crumbling. “Shiro, Shiro, Shiro.”

Taking in a deep breath, she brings Keith back into the crook of her neck. Rubbing at his shaking back and hoping the initial panic will ebb away quickly. Once Keith calmed down enough, she’d talk to him. Try to explain as best as she could what he was going through in his state.

She pressed the back of her fingers against his forehead and frowned. He was feverish, but it was to be expected. Keith hadn’t said anything about experiencing any heat symptoms on their two years spent together, so she had assumed he hadn’t acquired her race’s sub gender.

She didn’t know if it was just Keith’s time to present or being induced by stress, but that didn’t matter right now. First heats weren’t bad, just a little emotionally taxing. Kits were usually calmed down by the scents of their parents. It made them feel safe, basically just urging the Galra presenting to nest and sleep off their heat or rut.

But this is different.

The image of the other black paladin’s worried face and the way Keith kept calling out for him, even though he was starting to fall back into sleep against her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can message me on my tumblr @jibblyuniverse  
> ig @jibblyuniverse  
> twitter @jibblyuniverse4


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh i don;t know if i've said but i love shiro

Since he’s gotten back, there’s been a bone deep tiredness that has been in him. As soon as he had seen the faces of everyone and knew he was back, he let himself give into that exhaustion. He doesn’t exactly know how long it’s been since he’s been brought back, but with all the sleep he’s gotten, he doesn’t feel any less tired.

He’ll wake up from time to time, most of the time it’s to Keith looking down at him and asking how he’s feeling.

The other’s eyes always looking close to tears whenever he said he was just tired, or that he wanted to sleep more. Shiro knew that Keith was worried about him.

Seeing Keith like that made something deep in his chest tighten up and make it hard to breathe. His mind was not as organized as he would like it, but as time went on, his memories became clearer. He didn’t know if it was because the body he was in now isn’t his, but he remembers everything that’s happened since his fight with Zarkon.

The escape from the Galra, his acceptance of slowing dying out in a pod and then being rescued, Keith leaving, Lotor, how he tried to blow up the Castle, and how he had almost killed Keith.

Knowing that the angry scar on Keith’s cheek was because of him.

The guilt is crushing every time he sees the mark. He doesn’t blame Keith for flinching from him.

A whine drawls him out of his head space and he looks up from where he had been looking at the floor. He’s still sitting exactly where Krolia and Keith had left him on his bed. His door way open and he saw that he had a guest.

Bright blue fur and piercing eyes looked at him, the creature sizing Shiro up before stepping into the room. Shiro watched as the wolf was sniffing along the wall and placed his front paws on his shelf. He noticed the pile of clothes there for the first time, as the wolf sniffed at it. Another whine sounding off as it spun around the room.

Shiro watching as the creature grew more and more distressed, until it huffed and moved towards him. Shiro jumped when a cold snout was pressed against his chest, the wolf eagerly sniffing at him.

Its tail was wagging back and forth as he licked at Shiro’s neck, jumping off and shuffling on it’s paws. Looking expectedly up at Shiro, it barked and Shiro understood. It was looking for Keith. He probably smelled like him, and it thought he knew where he was.

Offering up his palm, the wolf stepped forward and sniffed at it. “Sorry, bud. I don’t know where he is either.” The words were heavier than he expected and his mind drifted again, this time to how he had been woken up by Krolia.

_He groaned, frowning at the way he was being shaken awake. “Shiro, wake up.” Her voice was firm, and he blinked the sleep from his eyes, his hand coming up to rub at them. The first thing he noticed was how warm it was, and then the soft breath against his neck._

_Looking up, he saw Keith’s mom standing beside the bed, looking down at them. He flushed at they way he and Keith were tangled up in each other. “Uh…”_

_She sighed at him and shook her head. “I need to get Keith from you.”_

_Looking down at his chest, Shiro shifted as he felt the grip the other had on him. His face softened as he took in how peaceful the other paladin looked asleep against him. He didn’t want to have to disturb that. Frowning, he looked back up at her. “He’s tired, and I don’t want to wake him. But I’ll go to another room if th-“_

_She shook her head at him, brows furrowing. “That’s not what this is about. Keith is about to present and I need to get him to a room that can accommodate his needs.”_

_Shiro was even more confused. “Present?”_

_Nodding, she looked at her son and Shiro saw the way her sharp features softened up. Keith looks so much like her. “It’s a coming of age for the Galra. I didn’t think he would go through it, but now…” She looks at him and he feels exposed. “something’s triggered it. I need to make sure he’s taken care of, so it’ll go by as painlessly as possible.”_

_Keith shifted against him, face pressed firmly to his neck, hands wound around Shiro’s back, as felt his chest softly vibrate._

_Eyes wide, a blush came to his face as he realized that Keith was purring. Lifting his hand to Keith’s back, he spread his palm and felt the vibrations travel up his arm._

_Krolia cleared her throat to get his attention, and he clenched his jaw. She knew what was best for Keith, so he had to trust her._

_Moving his hand from Keith’s back to his side, Shiro gently started to shake him. “Keith.”_

She had taken Keith and he almost followed her out of the room. The way Keith had clung to him, the sounds he let out, everything in Shiro wanted to grab him back from her. He still didn’t understand what was going on.

She said Keith was presenting, but presenting as what?

Sighing, he put his head in his hand feeling a pain at the back of his skull. He was worried, and restless now. Sleep the furthest thing from his mind, his thoughts filed with the devasted look on the other’s face.

He felt the bed dip besides him and looked over to see the wolf turning this way and that, before it settled and laid down in a ball next to him. It looked up at him with his head resting on his paws and let out a soft whine.

Reaching back, Shiro scratched behind one of it’s ears. “I feel ya, buddy.” He said is a light tone.

\---

Keith was finally asleep again.

His sobbing had subsided, and he had taken to her parental scent. Letting it calm his shot nerves and drifting off into a fitful sleep.

She looked over his red and irritated eyes, her hand running through his hair. It had taken longer than she said anticipated, which only made her worry grow. Looking over to the door, she decided to go and start gathering the necessary items for Keith.

Careful not to wake him, she pressed the heel of her hand against one of the cushions closest to Keith’s head. Rubbing his scent into it, it case Keith woke up before she got back.

Standing up, she took in the way her kit pressed his face into the spot where she had marked. The sight making her inner alpha pleased at being able to care for her young. He would be okay for a while, but she had to get moving. She left the room and started back to the area where the paladins were sleeping.

Keith needed to be surrounded by scents that were comforting, and that included his comrades.

As she walked back, her mind replayed the reactions of the black paladin to Keith.

She knew he had no idea what was happening, but she saw the way he was reluctant to give her Keith.

The two years she had gotten to spend with Keith was a blessing in more ways than one to her. A chance to get to know her son and connect with him. They shared each other’s memories. Her of Keith’s dad and him as a baby. How she always thought of him even while on missions. Keith shared how her mate had died. The loneliness he had felt all alone in an orphanage. How his entire life was changed the moment he met Shiro.

That was the topic Keith talked about the most.

Shiro.

She had listened to countless stories of how the older man had taught and raised Keith to be the man he is today. She’d never be able to repay him for taking care of her kit when she couldn’t.

But the way Keith had clung to the other was not the way a kit clings to a parent during heat.

Everything about Keith in that moment, with his face buried in Shiro’s neck. Purring out and scenting out pheromones, was all the signs of an omega calling to it’s mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr @jibblyuniverse  
> twitter @jibblyuniverse4  
> ig @jibbluniverse


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> space wolf's name is Blink

The first room she stops at is Keith’s. Kneeling down, she smells if the bedding has already taken to his scent, but it’s very faint. It wouldn’t be of much help then. Looking around, she pursed her lips as she realized that her kit hadn’t brought much from the castle in way of belongings. She had thought maybe he had taken some things while she had gone to get Shiro in the cryotube.

Looking around the floor, she frowned. The canine that Keith had saved while on their mission was no where to be found. “Where has he gone off to?” She says to herself. The wolf is especially attached to Keith, so it is surprising not to find him here.

Stepping back out into the hallway, the lights have brightened and she wonders how long she had been with Keith.

Looing down at the next room over, she thinks on whether or not to ask Shiro for anything. It would be the strongest scent that Keith would take to besides her’s, but it could also make the heat worse if what she suspects is true.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a door further down sliding open. The yellow paladin walks out, eyes half lidded and a yawn making his face scrunch up. It takes him a second to notice her, and he straightens up immediately. “Good morning!”

She nods to him in greeting. “did you sleep well?”

Hunk smiles, but it’s forced. “The bed’s a little stiffer than my old one, but…” He drifts off, eyes looking glazed over. She suspects that he’s missing the castle.

The door next to her opens up, and Shiro almost runs into her. He takes a step back and takes in a calming breath. “Is everything okay? How’s Keith?” He asks immediately. He must have heard her talking and come out to find out what was going on. She sees him pitch forward and how he has to grab the side of the doorway to keep his balance. The wolf she had been looking for pushing him aside to get to her.

Blink sniffs at her, lifting up to place his paws on her shoulders, tail wagging. He must smell Keith.

The yellow paladin looks between the two of them confused. “Keith? Is something wrong with him?”

Shiro looks over at him and is about to answer but changes his mind and looks back at her. He doesn’t know what to say and waits for her to say something instead.

Their talking has woken up the rest of the team, as the last of the paladins come out of their rooms. “What’s going on out here?” The blue paladin rubs the sleep from his eyes.

Sighing, she sees that she will have to explain first and then ask for something that she could take with her back to the heat rooms.

“Keith is going through a Galra rite of passage. It is nothing to be worried about. I will need something from each of you that carries your scent to give to him, though. It will help and be much appreciated.” She gets right to the point. Heats are considered a personal affair, and she feels uncomfortable letting Keith’s team know what he’s experiencing.

“Something that has our scents? Anything in particular?” Pidge says from next to hunk.

Krolia steps aside and Blink drops off her shoulders, whining and coming to sit besides her. She places her hand on top of his head and pets him. “preferably something that is soft and fabric like. The stronger your scent, the better.”

There’s a few thinking faces, but each one steps back into their rooms to look through their belongings.

Expect for Shiro.

He is frowning down at the floor, and his hand is flexing and relaxing down at his side. Blink goes to him and likes at Shiro’s palm, to which he turns to scratch at the wolf’s ears. “I don’t have anything that I can give.” He says down at Blink before looking up to her. His face is pinched. He wants to help Keith, and she is tempted to say that he doesn’t need to give anything. That the other’s scents will be enough, but she knows that that is just her protective alpha instincts over her kit.

Looking over him, the armor is gone, but he is still wearing the under suit with he cut through his shoulder.

“There are cleaning facilities down the south hallway with changes of clothes.” She speaks to him in a monotone voice.

It takes him a second to understand what she’s saying, but then a flush comes over his face. He nods and she turns as he makes his way down the way she had said. Blink pushes his forehead into the side of her leg.

\---

His eyelids feel heavy when he hears the door to the room he’s in slide open. He groans when he feels excited feet patter around him, and a snout sniffing loudly into his hair. Turning his face more into the padding, he feels Blink pushing his body against Keith’s side.

Turning his head, he opens his eyes and looks up. His mom is there with a bundle of very familiar clothes. Raising himself up to his elbows, there’s a bone deep need in him that tells him to grab them from her.

She kneels down onto his nest and places her bundle between them.

He reaches out and sees Pidge’s sweater first. The fabric is thick but soft, and he places it down and spreads it out. He feels more relaxed as he starts to place one item after another around him. There’s a singlemindedness that takes over him as he secures each thing. Tucking them into spaces between blankets and pillows.

Blink and his mom sitting just beyond the nest as they watch him.

One by one the pile disappears, before he’s reaching behind him for the last thing. His fingers feel torn fabric and he stops and stares down at what he’s holding. Everything in him stops as he smooths out the fabric of the suit. The pads of his fingers running over the shoulder.

This is Shiro’s.

Gripping the suit, he brings it up to his face and presses it. His pulse thuds in his ears as he takes in the scent that is seeped into the fabric. His face feels hot and there’s a tightness in his chest that feels like he can’t breathe right.

“Keith, calm down. Everything is okay. You are safe.”

His mom has inched closer to him, knees touching his on the nest. He looks up at her, confused. The anxiety inside him isn’t going away. He feels his eyes wandering across the room, and he can’t stop the way his body is acting.

He can’t breathe properly anymore, as he clutches the suit into his chest. Krolia is giving him her soothing scent, but it just makes it worse. A breath gets trapped inside his throat, and them he’s letting out high pitched chirping. The distressed sound makes his eyes water, and he leans down to press himself into his nest. Shiro’s suit buried into his neck.

Blink whines at him, trying to figure out what’s wrong, but when Keith catches the scent that is clinging to him, he only sobs harder.

“Keith….” Krolia is besides him, saturating the room with her scent, but he doesn’t want it.

He shakes his head, more chirps and sobs leaving him. A hole inside of his chest.

\---

Krolia looks at him with utter defeat.

There’s no doubting what that sound leaving Keith’s mouth means. She knew that bringing the suit was a bad idea, and she did it anyway. She wanted to see if what she thought was true.

Keith was calling out to his mate. The omegan chirps a high-pitched distress call that signals their mated alpha. He was calling out to Shiro.

\---

He was sitting on the edge of the bed again, not even the wolf to keep him company this time as he worried over what was happening to Keith. The team had tried to ask him more questions once Krolia left, but he didn’t know what was going on either.

He had done what Krolia had said and gone to change. Giving her his paladin under suit, but he felt the hesitation from her as she took it from him. Her hard gaze making him nervous about what she thought about him.

He perked up when he heard a commotion from outside his room. Standing up, he took a step before the door opened up and Krolia was there. Lance and Allura were behind her, asking questions, but she only looked at him.

“Come with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter @jibblyuniverse4  
> tumblr @jibblyuniverse  
> ig @jibblyuniverse


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter is short

He followed her, the rest of the team wanting to come too, but she had turned them down with a firm refusal. Her serious face making his palm sweat. She still hadn’t answered him about how Keith was, but as they came to a stop to what looked like a med bay, he couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“What’s going on? You said Keith is okay, but this doesn’t seem like he is.”

She stops and turns back to look at him. “He’ll be fine.” It’s said out tensely, but he can see the worry in her posture.

They start walking again and turn into a line of rooms. “Then why am I here?” he asks her as she goes into one room and walks out with a box. He stares down at it, cannisters and packages filling it.

She moves down the hallway until they reach the third door and leans down to place the box besides the door. When she stands back up, Shiro is met with a glare. “I don’t know everything about your relationship with my son, but- “

Taking in a deep breath, Krolia’s expression turns into one of worry. “I’ve done all I can up to this point. His attachment to you is the only factor I didn’t include, which was a mistake on my part.”

Shiro’s eyes look towards the door, and he feels like his pulse is racing.

“What does that mean?” He asks, throat feeling dry.

She gives him a look that might be pity. “I don’t expect humans to understand Galran biology, but Keith’s imprinted on you.”

Shiro looks at her, brows furrowed. “Imprinted?”

She nods and crosses her arms over her chest. “It’s a bond that Galra create to people we are closest to. At first, I thought that it was because of how you had been a kind of influential figure to him. But I don’t think that is quite true anymore.”

She gives him a serous look, that looks vulnerable for a second. “What do you feel about Keith?”

\---

He has Shiro’s suit tucked into his chest as he breathes out small hiccupping chirps. His whole body aches and the room feels like it’s suffocating him with how warm it is. Blink is curled up besides him, licking at his arms trying his best to comfort him.

There’s the sound of the door opening, but he just curls harder into himself. His back to the door, he shivers as Blink stand up and hovers over him. The wolf is tense and is growling, but Keith can’t make himself turn around to see at what.

“Don’t worry about him, he won’t attack you.” His mom is talking and he wonders to who, because Blink wouldn’t growl at her. “At least I don’t think so.”

“that doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence…”

His eyes snap open and then he’s turning towards the door. His shoulder dislodging Blink from where he was standing over him, as Keith’s eyes find Shiro’s.

The other paladin giving him a smile as he kneels down at the edge of his nest. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Shiro…” Keith voice is raw as he starts crawling towards Shiro, his hands reaching out for him. He sees the way Shiro looks up to Krolia, before moving onto the nest.

Shiro is here. His hand wrapping around his shoulders and pulling Shiro as close as he could. He’s crying again, his fingers carding through the soft white hair and he takes in the warm scent of Shiro. Keith feels a hand cradle his lower back and both of their chests are pressed up together as they embrace.

“Shh...it’s okay. I’ve got you. It’s okay.” Shiro is whispering into his ear and it makes Keith shudder, burying his face into the crook of Shiro’s neck.

There’s some shuffling and then he hears the door close, but all he can concentrate on is the person in front of him. Pulling back, he presses his forehead against Shiro’s. “Shiro, I… “a sob breaks its way out of his throat, before he can start talking again. “don’t leave me…please…”

Shiro’s hand comes up to his face and pushes back some bangs behind his ear. Keith opens his eyes to see the heartbroken look Shiro is giving him. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

He strokes his thumb over Keith’s cheek, wiping away some of the wetness gathered there. “What do you need, Keith?” Shiro’s voice is so close and Keith wants to hear him forever.

His whole body is warm, but with each touch and caress from Shiro, it goes down little by little. His body is unwinding with each inhale of Shiro’s scent and he can finally feel how exhausted he is. He’s scared though, he doesn’t want to close his eyes and Shiro to be gone when he wakes up. But Shiro said that he wasn’t going to leave him.

Letting out a shuddering breath, Keith tries to focus in on Shiro’s face. “sleep here with me?” He asks and feels ten time lighter when Shiro nods his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter @jibblyuniverse4  
> tumblr @jibblyuniverse


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i know i know  
> it's been forever since i updated this  
> so to make up for the small hiatus  
> this chapter is nsfw

He turns back as Keith buries himself into his chest, the overheated skin of the younger man making him start to warm up himself. Krolia is placing a box against the edge of the nest and the wall, away enough that it won’t bother them as Shiro lays them down. She gives Keith a once over, before mouthing out to ‘take care of him’ to the white haired paladin.

Nodding, he watches her stand up and leave, closing the door behind her.

Him and Keith are lying on their sides, Keith tucked under his chin, soft noises being let out at a slow rhythm against Shiro’s chest. Shiro gently let his hand run over Keith’s side, doing his best to comfort him through what he was going through.

_Krolia goes into a pantry and comes out with what looks like a syringe. He automatically steps back from the instrument. He still had his mistrust of alien medical equipment, but she quickly starts explaining what she’s holding as he suspects she sees his unease._

_“This is a contraceptive measure.”_

_Shiro’s eyebrows shoot up, and he reels back a little from the suddenness. “Why do I need that? Or is that for Keith?”_

_She shakes her head and places the syringe on a metal countertop nearby. “Keith is too deep in the throes of his heat for birth control to be reliable. You on the other hand, are not in rut as you are human, so this will prevent any unwanted pregnancies.”_

_He feels his face heat up and rubs his hand over his face, before raising it up between them._

_“Hold on…. Keith is male. Why would we need that in the first place?” Swallowing up the embarrassment that is suddenly washing over him as he discusses this with Keith’s Mom of all people. “And, why would I do…THAT with Keith? I thought he was sick?”_

_She stares at him and he feels the seconds like a brand on his skin. Her face going through a variety of expressions as she thinks of her choice of words to him. “Keith….” She sighs. “I thought that he would be more like his father, more human. That was a mistake. He’s what you call an omega, and in the Galra, that if something that is very precious.”_

_She picks up the syringe and stares at the liquid inside the small glass chamber. “Galra live long lives, but we are also not very fertile. Galran children are incredibly rare. Omegas are… they are treasured amongst our people, because of their high fertility. Keith is an omega in heat.” She looks him in the eyes, outstretching her hand for his arm. “And he has chosen you to be besides him, but we are in the middle of war. And the both of you are far too important to be incapacitated with a child.”_

_He stares at the offered hand and cautiously gives her his arm._

_“Keith will want you to comfort him. And right now, that means this,” She gestures to the syringe. “Is necessary so that you are able to do that without repercussions.”_

The soft sounds against his chest do very little to ease the tension lining his body. The implications of what he is expected to do for Keith are hanging over him. He’s…. He’d be lying if he said that he has never thought about Keith.

When they were younger, Keith was more of someone that he yearned to help and reach his full potential. He had taken him under his wing, because he saw that he was a diamond in the rough.

He had had Adam, and never once thought of Keith in anything over than a student to help guide in the right direction. He knew that Keith had had a crush on him, though. He would have had to have been blind not to notice. And Adam had constantly teased him about it, too.

Then he had been kidnapped, and the first thing he had seen when he got back to Earth were those worried purple eyes.

He reaches behind himself and grabs one of the blankets nearby, draping it over Keith. He was still warm despite naked, but He wanted to keep the other paladin’s modesty as best as he could considering the circumstances.

Running his hand one more through Keith’s hair, he let out a deep sigh and tried to get comfortable.

 ---

He feels something warm on his chest and groans when that warmth slips into his mouth. Frowning, he starts to groggily come to. That warmth palms at the back of his neck and pulls him in. Blinking away the sleep from his eyes, he groans again as he realizes that he’s being kissed.

There’s a tingling on his tongue with every slide of Keith’s tongue against his, and he wonders if that’s normal. He gently pushes against a purring chest and catches his breath.

Keith goes reluctantly, but grips Shiro’s hand and herds it up his throat until Shiro is cupping just under his chin. His fingertips brush against a raised patch of skin and he looks to see an irritated spot just at Keith’s nape. “how are you feeling?” He asks when he looks away from that small red area. Keith’s face capturing his attention as he takes him in.

Keith opens his mouth but no sound comes out, he whines and reaches for Shiro again. Shiro lets him pull him in and he’s being kissed again, small high pitched chirps slipping in between their lips. Shiro feels his eyes close as he angles his head to get the kiss to deepen, and lets Keith have his mouth.

He’s lying on his back with Keith on top of him, knees on either side of his waist. He feels a shiver runs down his spine when Keith’s hips press down against his. Breaking the kiss, he tries to get the cloudiness in his head to clear up.

Which was hard to do, when those hips started to build up a rhythm and move against his.

“Keith…hold on.” He tries, but he sees him shake his head.

“Shiro.” He groans out as he presses his forehead against the top of Shiro’s chest and grinds his hips. “Shiro Shiro Shiro.”

He’s repeating his name into his skin and it’s making his heart rate beat deafeningly in his own ears. He lets his head fall back when he feels Keith pressing bites at the edge of his collarbone. The warmth on top of him making his body respond, and his breath hitches when he feels a hand reach under the elastic of his sweats.

“Fuck”, he swears. Keith’s biting traveling up his neck and edge of his jawline. “Keith, I’m...” He tries to speak but his groans and closes his eyes as he’s silenced with warm lips and a sweet tongue.

He feels Keith shift on him, and Shiro gasps into the kiss when his dick is taken out of his pants. Those fingers are running up and down his shaft and making shivers travel up his spine with each stroke. He looks down and sees himself. Red and straining against those slender fingers.

Then he sees how those hips line themselves with him, and he tries to pull back from the kiss to tell Keith that he needs to get him ready. Keith is going to hurt himself if he doesn’t slow down, but he only gets as far as saying the other’s name, before he feels himself entering.

He reaches up and grips the hair at the nape of Keith’s hair as he moans at the velvety warmth that envelopes him. Keith’s eyes fluttering shut and he lets out a keen that melts into Shiro’s skull. “Fuck…. Fuck…. Fuck, Keith.”

His eyes are glued to the way Keith lifts his hips and he sees how wet he is. Keith’s thighs absolutely soaked as he fucks himself on Shiro’s dick.

“Shiro…” It’s breathy and dazed and immediately calls for him to look back at Keith.

Keith’s eyes are closed, head thrown back as he continues to say his name. The sight making him the most beautiful thing Shiro’s ever seen. Cursing, he winds his arm over the small of Keith’s back and tucks him back into his chest. The action making him slip free of Keith, but he adjusts his legs so that he has leverage against the soft nest. Keith whines, but Shiro whispers in his ear. “line me up, baby.”

Keith shivers as he reaches down and wraps his fingers around his dick. Small huffing gasps leaving his lips when the tip is lined up with his ass.

Shiro kisses just at the crease of one of Keith’s eyes and thrusts in. Keith groans when he starts fucking up into him, his feet pushing against the floor. That warm wetness surrounding him with every thrust.

His pace is fast and deep, Keith’s mouth falling slack as he takes every inch into himself. Those small chirps falling out of his mouth.  Every thrust gets him closer and closer to the edge, till his fingers are digging into soft skin, sure to leave bruises. “Keith, I’m close.” He grits out.

Keith jolts in his arms and reaches back. Shiro feels the tips of his fingers brush where he’s entering him, and curses, the coil in his gut growing tighter.

“…me….in me, Shiro…” He moans out, shivering with every thrust. His mouth coming up to kiss him again. “Shiro, I want it….” Every word making Shiro feel like he was losing his mind. “inside me. Put your babies inside me.” Shiro seeing the glazed over longing in Keith’s eyes as he grips the back of his neck, deepening the kiss, and groaning as he cums inside him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw omegas have saliva that have aphrodisiac qualities during heat  
> momma krolia making sure her baby doesn;t get knocked up


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!  
> surprise bitch!  
> I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me

The first thing he becomes aware of when he starts to wake up is how incredibly dry his throat is. And as he shifts on the bed, the second more prominent feeling, is the whole body soreness that makes him outwardly hiss through clenched teeth. The pain makes him jolt out of his peaceful sleep and into wakefulness. His arms shake as he tries to lift himself off the blankets under him with little results. Huffing out as his chest drops onto the bed again, to which he is embarrassed to feel how it rubs against his aching nipples. 

He hits a closed fist into the covers next to his head where he's facedown in the sheets. 

"Hnn..."

His head snaps up as he looks over to the space besides him. At first, he had thought is was just another mismatched bundle of blankets like the various ones around himself, but no.

Heat rises up his neck and face as he sees Shiro lying asleep besides him, a very naked Shiro.

Panic starts to settle in as he comes to the realization that he's very naked himself. "What the fuck happened...?" He whispers out in a high shakey tone.

\----

There's a tiredness he hasn't felt in his body in a long time that settles over him as he starts to wake up. Groaning, he rubs at his eyes and tries to get his head to clear up a bit. It's still a bit fuzzy from the night before but he mostly remembers everything. Looking up at the dimmed ceiling lights, he relaxes into the covers, or at least tries to as a soft mumbling sound drifts over to him. 

Turning over, he sees Keith's back turned towards him, but he's positive that the younger paladin is talking to himself. "Keith?"

Keith goes silent and Shiro sees a tenseness embed itself along the other's shoulders. Frowning, he reaches out and lets his hand rest on the curve of Keith's shoulder. "Hey, look at me. What's wrong?" He gets a nervous laugh at that, and when Keith rolls onto his back so that they can be looking at one another, his eyes widen. 

Keith's eyes are watery and red, swollen and a general air of misery surrounding him. Shiro abruptly sits up, a deep sense of uneasiness settling in his chest as he looks at the other. "Hey....Keith, why are you crying?" 

Keith brings up one of his arms so that he's covering his face in the crease of his elbow, more tears slipping out of the corners of his eyes. 

"Hey, no no no Keith. Come on, let me see you, Baby." He tries to soothe the other and moves so that he's leaning over him, their chest only a few inches apart. 

Keith shakes his head, face still behind his arm. 

"Are...", he swallows "I'm sorry, Keith."

A wet laughs comes out of the person under him. "You're sorry? Shiro, _I'm_ sorry. This was because of me." 

Frowning, he shakes his head even though the other can't see it. "Keith, I did this because I wanted to. I wanted to take care of you, Baby." 

"Didn't know what was happening to me." Keith's voice was so soft, it made shiro's heart ache. He wants to see his face. Wants to kiss him and hold him close. 

"Keith, can i see you please?" He asks one more time, leaning further down so that his mouth brushes Keith's lips as he talks, hand coming up to cradle the side the other's face. He feels goosebumps rise against Keith's skin and there's that distressed chirping noise again. It's much softer than when he had first come into the room, and he feels Keith try to get closer. 

He's so tempted to kiss him, but , "Baby, please?" 

Keith lets out a shuddering breath, but after a few seconds, the arm moves further up. Those lovely eyes are staring up at him, small soft chirps falling out with heaving breaths. "There you are. My beautiful baby." He coos as his thumb rubs over a damp cheekbone, leaning down to close the space between them. He feels Keith sigh into his mouth and when he turns his head to deepen the kiss, he feels those hands wind around his back. 

He readjust himself so that he's in the v of Keith's hips and let's his weight settle there. His hand traveling down Keith's side to pull him against himself by the waist. Keith moans in the kiss before the break apart, tucking his face against his neck. 

Shiro groans when he lets his hand go further down, down to between Keith's legs and feels how slick he is. 

Keith jolts when he runs the pads of his fingers against his enterance. The ring of muscle fluttering against his touch. "Ah...Shiro. wait! you dont.." His thighs are shaking from where they cradle Shiro's hips, a whine slipping through those full lips. "you don't have to."

"You're right." He slowly pushes two of his fingers against the ring until they slip in, surrounded by velvet warmth. Keith keens and throws his head back, mouth open with gasps as Shiro starts to pump his fingers in and out . "I don't have to. I want to." He leans down to suck kisses under Keith's chin and neck. "Going to make you cum right here, Baby." 

Keith can't do anything but moan as those fingers find that bundle of nerves inside him and make that coil in his gut curl tighter and tighter. Shiro's lips going so close to where he wants them as he's taken apart. The haze and heat from before is gone, but his body is still too sensitive, too responsive to the man he loves more than anything in the universe. 

He leans in to speak into Keith's ear, three fingers pumping into that warmth. "When we get home, I promise. I'll fill you up, Keith." He picks up the speed of his fingers and hears how Keith starts to sob, shuddering with pleasure under him. "Over and over and over again, just like you need. Till you're pregnant, Baby. Soft and sweet with our baby, Keith." He feels the flutter and tightening around his fingers and kisses the crown of Keith's head as an absolutely wrecked sob tears itself out from Keith's mouth. Cum covering both of their stomachs. 

\----

"Hey, Keith! You're back!"

"How are you feeling?"

"Shiro, what happened?" 

He tries not to look at the happy smile on Shiro's face as he not too subtly hides behind him to answer the rest of their team's questions. His face tucking into the center of Shiro's back just under the nape of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we end my little self indulgent nesting fic that spiraled into almost putting a baby in keith if it wasn't for momma Krolia being the responsible one and making sure her son wasn't going to get knocked up
> 
> come yell at me on twitter @jibblyuniverse4

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed and SMASH that kudos button  
> Leave a comment down below!


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